OREANDA-NEWS. UC RUSAL, the world’s largest aluminium and alumina producer, announced on October 29 that the Khakas Aluminium Smelter had reached full capacity ahead of schedule, now as the fourth and final complex had been put into operation. The smelter has a production capacity of 300,000 tonnes per annum. Total investment in the project amounts to over USD 750 million.

The Khakas Aluminium Smelter is the only aluminium plant to have been constructed in Russia during the past 20 years.  The smelter was built in the record time with the construction beginning only 25 months before the first pour in December 2006.

The Khakas Aluminium Smelter comprises an electrolytic cell workshop, anode and foundry workshops, and power supply infrastructure. The electrolytic cell complex is equipped with 336 of UC RUSAL’s proprietary RA-300 electrolytic cells. The plant’s capacity enables daily production of 800 tonnes of metal.  The high level of production process automation at Khakas Aluminium Smelter provides high productivity, and the plant is operated by only 730 employees.   

According to the company's press release, during the design phase, special attention was paid to protecting the environment. The smelter was equipped with advanced dry gas purifying systems suppressing up to 99.5% of fluoric compounds and electrolytic dust.  At the beginning of this year, as part of the financing process, independent consultants audited the smelter at the initiative of the BNP Paribas.  The audit proved that the smelter complies with the Equator Principles, conforming to national and international environment, health and safety regulations. Valery Matvienko, Director of the Engineering and Construction Division at UC RUSAL, commented, “We have built and put into operation a world class industrial complex. The experience gained from this project has  been successfully applied in the construction of the Taishet and Boguchansk smelters.  There is no doubt that one of our key competitive advantages in completing complex large-scale construction projects is the availability of UC RUSAL’s professional and experienced engineering and construction team.”